Phuket in the dark

PHUKET, 22 May 2013: A massive blackout apparently originating from a fault at an hydropower station at the Rachaphrapa dam in Surat Thani blacked out Phuket  last night, along with all provinces south of the dam, according to a report posted on Thaivisa.com.

The blackout started at about 1900, but 50 minutes later limited power became available. The web news channel said it was not clear when full power would be restored.

Most of the island’s popular restaurants and entertainment spots closed leaving the usually brightly lit streets of tourist zones  dark and almost deserted.

Later in the evening, power supply resumed to most of the communities and beach resorts on the holiday island, but not without some losses in trade.

Most of Phuket’s major hotels have their own back-up electricity supply from generators that kick in if there is a power failure.

Mobile phone systems were overloaded as people tried to find out how far the  blackout had spread . It took several hours for mobile use to return to normal.

Phuket International Airport escaped the brunt of the problems as it has its own emergency electricity supply, but there were a few delays to flight as passengers took more time to reach the airport to catch evening flights.

Sourced: ttrweekly